Geneva Lake, Wisconsin

widowmaker

New Member
Oct 5, 2006
230
midwest
Boat Info
200 br
Engines
5.0L MPI, Bravo 3
Going up to Geneva Lake, WI in early July. Staying at the Abbey Resort in Fontaine (West Shore).
Has anyone boated this lake? Am I undersized at 20' ? I'm thinking off peak hours only.
Any relevant thoughts welcome.
Thanks.
Widowmaker
 
Hi Widowmaker,

I spent last season at the Abbey. I wouldnt say your undersized however the only time I found the lake to be somewhat calm was really early morning and dusk-night time. I was tired of constantly being bounced around in my 340. Its a beautiful lake, however its like a washing machine 90% of the time. There are plenty of boats your size running around.

Just be careful, I have never been on a Lake with so many inexperienced boaters. Having someone cut across your bow is normal fare and over half of the boaters have no clue regarding distance from another boat, passing ettiquette etc. We moved to New Buffalo Mi this season and my three weekends spent on the water so far have been calm and quiet.
 
20' is a good size for Lake Geneva - I wouldn't worry at all about being undersized. The lake is typically very calm and fairly empty during the week but, as mentioned in the previous posts, can get busy on the weekends.

The Abbey and its adjacent marina is a GREAT place. Have fun!
 
Thanks for the input guys. We're loaded and ready to go for a well deserved holiday. I guess I'll have some stories to tell, hopefully not bad, about the trip later. This will be the first real test for the envoy, rated at 5,600 lb, towing a 4,750 rig. Hopefully it and us will handle the heat and load about 230miles. Have a great holiday everyone.
Widowmaker
 
Nice lake with lots of $1-$3 mill estates and lots of boats. Draws mostly from Chicago and Milwaukee. Waves 1-3 not too bad for a 20 footer at planing speeds. We didn't go out on the 4th though. There are some restaurants in Lake Geneva, Original Popeyes, and a new place in Williams Bay, 390 I think, that is high end and nice. The water is cool and clear, spring fed. Lots of restored chris crafts and new cobalts. The abbey resort charges 25/day to launch and 10 to park trailer for 3 days, kind of a ripoff but the public launches charge too with very limited parking. The abbey was protected in its own harbor which worked out well. All the docks on the lake have to be removed each fall and reset each spring due to ice. I bet that's expensive.
Wife liked so we may go back.
 

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